An interface circuit of a semiconductor apparatus may include a pulse generation unit, a data clock synchronization unit and a system clock synchronization unit. The pulse generation unit may be configured to generate a burst end pulse from a burst end signal according to a data clock signal. The data clock synchronization unit may be configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal based on the burst end pulse and the data clock signal, and disable the data clock synchronization signal according to a burst end detection signal. The system clock synchronization unit may be configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
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6. A semiconductor apparatus including an interface circuit comprising:
a pulse generation unit configured to generate a burst end pulse according to a burst end signal and a data clock signal;
a data clock synchronization unit configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal until a burst end detection signal is enabled when the burst end pulse is generated; and
a system clock synchronization unit configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
1. A semiconductor apparatus including an interface circuit comprising:
a pulse generation unit configured to generate a burst end pulse from a burst end signal according to a data clock signal;
a data clock synchronization unit configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal based on the burst end pulse and the data clock signal, and disable the data clock synchronization signal according to a burst end detection signal; and
a system clock synchronization unit configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
11. A system comprising:
a semiconductor apparatus electrically coupled with a host, and including a controller and at least one memory electrically coupled with the controller and stores and outputs data,
the controller comprising:
a pulse generation unit configured to generate a burst end pulse according to a burst end signal and a data clock signal;
a data clock synchronization unit configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal until a burst end detection signal is enabled when the burst end pulse is generated; and
a system clock synchronization unit configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
2. The semiconductor apparatus according to
3. The semiconductor apparatus according to
4. The semiconductor apparatus according to
5. The semiconductor apparatus according to
7. The semiconductor apparatus according to
8. The semiconductor apparatus according to
9. The semiconductor apparatus according to
10. The semiconductor apparatus according to
12. The system according to
13. The system according to
14. The system according to
15. The system according to
16. The system according to
17. The system according to
18. The system according to
19. The system according to
an oscillator is configured to generate the system clock signal with a predetermined cycle.
20. The system according to
a phase-locked loop configured to generate the data clock signal to have a shorter cycle in comparison to the system clock signal.
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The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Korean application number 10-2015-0014443, filed on Jan. 29, 2015, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Technical Field
Various embodiments generally relate to a communication system, and more particularly, to an interface circuit for high speed communication, and a semiconductor apparatus and a system including the same.
2. Related Art
Electronic products for personal uses, such as a personal computer, a tablet PC, a laptop computer and a smart phone, may be constructed by various electronic components. Two different electronic components in the electronic products may communicate at a high speed to process a large amount of data within a short time. The electronic components may generally communicate through interface circuits. The electronic components may communicate in various schemes, and a serial communication scheme is one example.
As the performances of electronic components are improved, necessity for a communication scheme capable of increasing a bandwidth and reducing power consumption is being increased. In order to meet such necessity, new serial communication schemes are being suggested in various ways, and improved interface circuits to support the new serial communication schemes are being developed.
In an embodiment, an interface circuit of a semiconductor apparatus may include a pulse generation unit configured to generate a burst end pulse from a burst end signal according to a data clock signal. The interface circuit may also include a data clock synchronization unit configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal based on the burst end pulse and the data clock signal, and disable the data clock synchronization signal according to a burst end detection signal. The interface circuit may also include a system clock synchronization unit configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
In an embodiment, an interface circuit of a semiconductor apparatus may include a pulse generation unit configured to generate a burst end pulse according to a burst end signal and a data clock signal. The interface circuit may also include a data clock synchronization unit configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal until a burst end detection signal is enabled when the burst end pulse is generated. The interface circuit may also include a system clock synchronization unit configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
In an embodiment, a system may a semiconductor apparatus electrically coupled with a host, and including a controller and at least one memory electrically coupled with the controller and stores and outputs data. The controller may include a pulse generation unit configured to generate a burst end pulse according to a burst end signal and a data clock signal. The controller may also include a data clock synchronization unit configured to enable a data clock synchronization signal until a burst end detection signal is enabled when the burst end pulse is generated. Further, the controller may include a system clock synchronization unit configured to generate the burst end detection signal by synchronizing the data clock synchronization signal with a system clock signal.
Hereinafter, an interface circuit for high speed communication, and a semiconductor apparatus and a system including the same will be described below with reference to the accompanying figures through various embodiments.
Embodiments may provide an interface circuit enabling quick operation mode conversion and a semiconductor apparatus including the same, in a system communicating at a high speed. In
The interface circuit 111 and 121 may perform serial communication of a differential signal transmission scheme. The interface circuit 111 of the master device 110 may include a transmitter (TX) 113 for transmitting a signal from the master device 110 to the slave device 120. The interface circuit 111 may also include a receiver (RX) 115 for receiving the signal transmitted from the slave device 120. The interface circuit 121 of the slave device 120 may include a receive (RX) 123 for receiving the signal transmitted from the master device 110. The interface circuit 121 may also include a transmitter (TX) 125 for transmitting a signal to the master device 110. The signal transmission paths 131 and 132 may include a plurality of lanes, and each lane may include two signal transmission lines. The two signal transmission lines may transmit a differential signal. While
The master device 110 and the slave device 120 may further include lane management blocks 117 and 127. The lane management blocks 117 and 127 may perform the functions of dividing signals to be transmitted and mixing received signals when the master device 110 and the slave device 120 exchange signals through the plurality of lanes.
Referring to
The interface circuit 210 of the master device may include a mapper 211, an encoder 212, a serialization unit 213, and a transmission driver 214. The mapper 211 may reconfigure data by adding a control symbol such that the data may be suited to the interface protocol of the system. 8-bit data may be the form of data to be used in the master device and the slave device. The encoder 212 may generate a 10-bit symbol which has a predetermined pattern according to the information of the 8-bit data. For example, the encoder 212 may encode the 8-bit data such that the level of the signal transmitted through the signal transmission lines DP and DN may continuously transition. Since the serial communication scheme between the master device and the slave device does not use a clock signal, a clock signal should be internally generated based on the signal transmitted through the signal transmission lines DP and DN. To precisely generate the clock signal, the signal transmitted through the signal transmission lines DP and DN need to continuously transition.
The serialization unit 213 may serialize the 10-bit encoded symbol outputted from the encoder 212, and sequentially output 1 bit by 1 bit. The transmission driver 214 may output the 10-bit encoded symbol to the signal transmission lines DP and DN through 10 times in response to the outputs of the serialization unit 213. The transmission driver 214 may transmit a differential signal corresponding to 1 bit to the signal transmission lines DP and DN. Accordingly, the 10-bit symbol may be transmitted to the interface circuit 220 of the slave device through 10 times through the transmission driver 214 and the signal transmission lines DP and DN.
The interface circuit 220 of the slave device may include a reception driver 221, a parallelization unit 222, a decoder 223, and a mapper 224. The reception driver 221 may receive the signal transmitted through the signal transmission lines DP and DN from the interface circuit 210 of the master device. The reception driver 221 may differentially amplify the signal transmitted through the signal transmission lines DP and DN. The reception driver 221 may also output a 1-bit signal. The parallelization unit 222 my parallelize the output of the reception driver 221, and output a 10-bit symbol. The decoder 223 may decode the 10-bit symbol, and recover 8-bit data. The mapper 224 may recover the output of the decoder 223 as 8-bit data the same as the 8-bit data inputted to the mapper 211 according to the control symbol added by the mapper 211 of the interface circuit 210 of the master device. While not shown, the interface circuit 220 of the slave device may further include a clock data recovery circuit for generating an internal clock signal based on the signal transmitted through the signal transmission lines DP and DN. The interface circuit 220 may further include a deskewing circuit for correcting the distortion of the signal.
Among the components of the interface circuit 210 of the master device, the mapper 211 and the encoder 212 may be circuits of a digital operation region. Further, the serialization unit 213 and the transmission driver 214 may be circuits of an analog operation region. Among the components of the interface circuit 220 of the slave device, the reception driver 221 and the parallelization unit 222 may be circuits of an analog operation region. In addition, the decoder 223 and the mapper 224 may be circuits of a digital operation region.
Referring to
The host device 310 may include at least one integrated circuit device such as an application processor and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The large capacity storage device 320 may include at least one storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) and a flash drive through USB coupling. The memory 330 may include any kind of memory device. For example, the memory 330 may include a volatile memory device such as a DRAM (dynamic RAM). In the alternative, the memory 330 may also include a nonvolatile memory device such as a ROM (read only memory), a PROM (programmable ROM), an EEPROM (electrically erasable and programmable ROM), an EPROM (electrically programmable ROM), a FLASH memory, a PRAM (phase change RAM), an MRAM (magnetic RAM), an RRAM (resistive RAM) and an FRAM (ferroelectric RAM).
The host device 310 may communicate with the large capacity storage device 320 and the memory 330 by forming respective links. The host device 310, the large capacity storage device 320 and the memory 330 may each include the interface circuit shown in
Referring to
The semiconductor apparatus 420 may store and output data by being controlled by the host 410. The semiconductor apparatus 420 may be a large capacity storage device such as a solid state drive. The semiconductor apparatus 420 may include a controller 430 and a plurality of nonvolatile memories 441 to 444. The controller 430 may relay the communication between the host 410 and the plurality of nonvolatile memories 441 to 444. The controller 430 may be electrically coupled with the plurality of respective nonvolatile memories 441 to 444. The controller 430 a may form individual sub links or channels with the respective nonvolatile memories 441 to 444. In an embodiment, the controller 430 may form individual sub links or channels with at least two nonvolatile memories. The nonvolatile memories 441 to 444 may be the same kind of memories, or may include different kinds of memories. For example, each of the nonvolatile memories 441 to 444 may include a flash memory, a PRAM (phase change RAM), an MRAM (magnetic RAM), an RRAM (resistive RAM) and an FRAM (ferroelectric RAM).
The controller 430 may include an interface circuit 431 to communicate with the host 410 through the at least one signal transmission line 450. The interface circuit 431 may correspond to the interface circuit 220 of the slave device shown in
The controller 430 may further include an oscillator 432, a phase-locked loop (PLL) 433, and a clock data recovery circuit (CDR) 434. The oscillator 432 may generate a system clock signal CFGCLK with a predetermined cycle, regardless of an operation mode of the semiconductor apparatus 420. The oscillator 432 may generate the system clock signal CFGCLK not only in the state in which the semiconductor apparatus 420 is activated but also in an operation mode in which the semiconductor apparatus 420 consumes minimal power. The operation mode in which the semiconductor apparatus 420 consumes minimal power may be a stall mode. Further, the stall mode may be, for example, a slip mode, a power-down mode, a deep power-down mode or a standby mode.
The phase-locked loop 433 may generate a data clock signal DCLK. The data clock signal DCLK may have a shorter cycle and/or a higher frequency when compared to the system clock signal CFGCLK. An amount of current needed for the phase-locked loop 433 to generate the data clock signal DCLK may be substantially large. Therefore, the phase-locked loop 433 may generate the data clock signal DCLK when the semiconductor apparatus 420 is activated. For example, the semiconductor apparatus 420 may be activated in a burst operation mode, and the phase-locked loop 433 may generate the data clock signal DCLK in the burst operation mode.
The clock data recovery circuit 434 may change the phase of the data clock signal DCLK. The clock data recovery circuit 434 may change the phase of the data clock signal DCLK based on the signal transmitted through the at least one signal transmission line 450 such that the phase of the data clock signal DCLK corresponds to the phase of the signal transmitted through the at least one signal transmission line 450. The oscillator 432 and the clock data recovery circuit 434 may be circuits of an analog operation region, like the phase-locked loop 433.
Referring to
The data clock synchronization unit 520 may generate a data clock synchronization signal BED based on the burst end pulse BEP, the data clock signal DCLK and a burst end detection signal DBE. The data clock synchronization unit 520 may enable the data clock synchronization signal BED when the burst end pulse BEP is generated. Further, the data clock synchronization unit 520 may disable the data clock synchronization signal BED when the burst end detection signal DBE is enabled. The data clock synchronization unit 520 may retain the enabled state of the data clock synchronization signal BED from when the burst end pulse BEP is generated to until the burst end detection signal DBE is enabled. The data clock synchronization unit 520 may operate in synchronization with the data clock signal DCLK. For example, the data clock synchronization unit 520 may enable the data clock synchronization signal BED in synchronization with the data clock signal DCLK when the burst end pulse BEP is generated. In addition, the data clock synchronization unit 520 may disable the data clock synchronization signal BED in synchronization with the data clock signal DCLK when the burst end detection signal DBE is enabled.
The system clock synchronization unit 530 may generate the burst end detection signal DBE based on the data clock synchronization signal BED and a system clock signal CFGCLK. The system clock synchronization unit 530 may generate the burst end detection signal DBE from the data clock synchronization signal BED in synchronization with the system clock signal CFGCLK. For example, the system clock synchronization unit 530 may enable the burst end detection signal DBE in synchronization with the system clock signal CFGCLK when the data clock synchronization signal BED is enabled. The system clock synchronization unit 530 may disable the burst end detection signal DBE in synchronization with the system clock signal CFGCLK when the data clock synchronization signal BED is disabled.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The interface circuit 5 in accordance with an embodiment enables the data clock synchronization signal BED when the level of the burst end signal BE transitions, and thereby allows the semiconductor apparatus 420 to recognize that the burst operation is ended, by the system clock signal CFGCLK. If the level of the burst end signal BE transitions, the pulse generation unit 510 may generate the burst end pulse BEP in synchronization with the data clock signal DCLK. If the burst end pulse BEP is enabled, the data clock synchronization unit 520 may enable the data clock synchronization signal BED. If the burst end pulse BEP is enabled, the first multiplexer 710 outputs the external voltage VDD. Further, the second multiplexer 720 outputs the output of the first multiplexer 710. The flip-flop 730 may receive the output of the second multiplexer 720, and may enable the data clock synchronization signal BED. Even though the burst end pulse BEP is disabled, the data clock synchronization signal BED may retain the enabled state until the burst end detection signal DBE is enabled. The system clock synchronization unit 530 may enable the burst end detection signal DBE in synchronization with the system clock signal CFGCLK. The first and second flip-flops 810 and 820 may enable the burst end detection signal DBE in synchronization with the system clock signal CFGCLK. If the burst end detection signal DBE is enabled, the second multiplexer 720 may output the ground voltage VSS and disable the data clock synchronization signal BED.
While various embodiments have been described above, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described are examples only. Accordingly, the interface circuit for high speed communication, and the semiconductor apparatus and the system including the same described herein should not be limited based on the described embodiments above.
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